Do’s and Don’ts in Search Engine Marketing
Ever heard of search engine marketing (SEM)? If you want to maximise your online presence, this advertising approach is one of the best options available today. This form of advertising involves bidding on certain keywords to win ad placement in search engine result pages (SERPs). The ads are either placed at the top or on the sides of the search pages, giving them prominent locations and allowing them to grab the attention of many searchers.
SEM can provide good results if implemented strategically. Creating an effective SEM campaign requires planning and thoughtful technique in order to procure the desired results. There are also a few do’s and don’ts to observe to help make the most of the SEM campaign.
Do’s
- Tailor ad text to the device
SEM can include PPC (Pay-Per-Click Advertising); PPC includes ads on Google and other major search engines. Google AdWords is the most popular PPC programme, which is not surprising since Google is widely used when it comes to searching for anything on the web. It allows you to target ads to mobile devices and desktop PCs, which is why the ad text should be tailored based on the device. Your ad text might not display correctly on small screens, defeating the purpose of creating a powerful message but will not display completely. Focus your ads on mobile users and then test it on multiple screen sizes to ensure the message is not lost.
- Implement A/B testing
Conducting A/B testing is beneficial when doing digital advertising. It helps determine which ad performs well in terms of attracting the attention of the target audience. In A/B testing, an ad will have at least two versions having different headlines, body texts, keywords and links to help discover which one is the most effective. Continued A/B testing will reveal the type of ad or combinations that appeal to the target audience, which in return can be used as a basis to design a more effective campaign in the future.
Don’ts
- Don’t use irrelevant keywords
One big mistake to avoid when doing SEM is using irrelevant keywords. Major search engines, like Google, hate finding keywords not relevant to any pages on the website. While this policy is strictly enforced, there are still some marketers who tried to cheat by using irrelevant keywords. Many websites have been penalised by Google after using keywords that have nothing to do with the site’s content. When penalised, it will have a negative impact to the business since your website will not appear in the search results. It is going to be a big loss for the business.
- Don’t use broad keywords
Broad keywords are not advisable for SEM campaign, rather terms that address specific features of the business or products are more favourable. One good example is the keyword “jewellery” which is very broad, while the keyword “black diamond jewellery” is a more specific term. Broad keywords are associated with high levels of competition and of course, high bidding. In addition, broad keywords tend to attract more irrelevant traffic to the website. It means you will be paying for numerous clicks that do not convert into sales. It is virtually difficult for SEM campaign to succeed using broad keywords.
- Don’t forget the landing pages
Your ads will drive people to the website, but the landing page plays a critical role since it is the first thing that people see after clicking the ad. It will determine whether the visitors will stay or not. If the landing page doesn’t match with the keywords that brought them there, they will immediately exit. This is why the search term should be relevant to the landing page to get good results of the SEM campaign.